Syrian-Iraqi talks to enhance work and coordination in environmental protection field

The meetings of the Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Eng. Louay Kharita, on the sidelines of his participation in the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change “COP 29” in “Baku” focused on coordination in the field of environmental protection and climate change.

In this context, Minister Kharita discussed with the Undersecretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Environment, Dr. Jassim Abdul Aziz Hammadi, ways to enhance work and coordination in the field of environmental protection and climate change, combating dust storms, and studying the possibility of preparing regional projects to reduce dust storms.

Minister Kharita also met with Jeffrey Griffin, Senior Coordinator of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for coordination with the Global Environment Facility. He stressed the need to allow Syria to benefit from the funding of the Global Environment Facility, which was affected by the unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people.

The Minister of Local Administration and Environment underlined the importance of cooperation with FAO and noted the efforts made by the organization’s office in Syria to implement joint projects with the relevant ministries on mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects.

The two sides also discussed the priorities of projects that can be submitted to the Green Climate Fund in the field of adaptation to climate change, readiness and early warning systems in a meeting with the Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa region at the Green Climate Fund.

The summit’s activities began on the 11th of this November and will continue until the 22nd, where participants focus on setting new goals for climate finance and supporting the efforts of developing countries to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to its current and future impacts. The twenty-ninth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the most important meeting in the world on climate change and is led by the United Nations. The word COP means the Conference of the Parties- the countries that have ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change treaty.

Inas Abdulkareem